Divorce, Separations and Annulments

News about Divorce, Separations and Annulments, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 28, 2015

Paul Sullivan Wealth Matters column examines business practices of divorce funding companies like Novitas, which largely cater to wealthy and offer loans with high interest rates so that their clients can attempt to recover marital funds after divorce; delves into way companies select clients, noting that underwriting process is extremely selective. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Op-Ed article by writer Josh Max addresses friend who is going through divorce, describing from his own experience what life of middle-aged single person looks and feels like. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Blockbuster divorce of oil billionaire Harold G Hamm, in which he is seeking to reduce his roughly $974 million settlement agreement, has raised interesting questions amid debate about whether executives owe their fortunes to skill or luck; Hamm's lawyers sought to exploit obscure element of divorce law by arguing that his wealth came from forces outside his control, like global oil prices, expertise of his deputies, and technology. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Samuel G Freedman On Religion column asserts that Israel's stiffening on issues pertaining to religious issues, including marriage and divorce, could alienate liberal-leaning American Jews, adding another dimension to strains between United States and Israel. MORE

Jan. 25, 2015

Pope Francis has set in motion debate about whether Roman Catholic Church should change its stance on divorce, which will be decided when bishops gather in October for second Vatican synod; debate has been set off due to millions of divorced Catholics around world; traditionalists point to fact that church offers option of seeking annulment for marriage, but many Catholics say they dislike process. MORE

Dec. 31, 2014

Harold Hamm, oil magnate ordered in November to pay his ex-wife Sue Ann Arnall $1 billion in their divorce, appeals ruling; appeal, and earlier one by his ex-wife, will be heard in Oklahoma Supreme Court. MORE

Dec. 28, 2014

Facebook, social media site known for copious personal posts, is generally not used to documenting difficult emotional events, particularly divorce, but some people are beginning to use it in that way. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

The Upshot; conventional wisdom that divorce rate in United States is rising and that half of all marriages ends in divorce persists, despite the fact that neither fact is true; marriages in US are stronger than they have been in decades, with divorce rate on the decline since its peak in the 1970s and early 1980s. MORE

Nov. 27, 2014

The divorce award between Chris Hohn and Jamie Cooper-Hohn underscores the immense wealth Mr. Hohn has accumulated at the helm of the Children’s Investment Fund. MORE

Nov. 25, 2014

Patricia Cohen continues to pursue Mr. Cohen, claiming he cheated her out of money during their divorce some two decades ago. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Sue Ann Hamm, former wife of Oklahoma oil magnate Harold Hamm who was awarded cash and assets worth more than $1 billion in couples' divorce, plans to appeal judgment on grounds that it grossly undervalues wealth to which she is entitled. MORE

Nov. 11, 2014

Secretive divorce proceedings of Oklahoma billionaire oilman Harold Hamm, chief executive of Continental Resources who is worth more than $18 billion, will result in his paying one of the biggest divorce settlements in history; he must pay nearly $1 billion to ex-wife Sue Ann Hamm. MORE

Oct. 19, 2014

Catholic synod ends with bishops unable to agree on homosexuality and divorce. MORE

Oct. 18, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Peter Manseau asserts discussion of marriage and divorce by Pope Francis's synod of bishops points to fact that idea of family is once again evolving within Catholic Church; holds church has always defined family against unattainable ideal, and that even marriage itself was once considered inferior state; says while cohabitation, divorce and gay marriage may never receive unqualified welcome, church's discussion of issues is important milestone. MORE

Oct. 14, 2014

Assembly of Roman Catholic bishops convened by Pope Francis at Vatican releases preliminary document calling for church to welcome and accept gay people, unmarried couples and those who have divorced, as well as children of these less traditional families; bishops' report does not change church doctrine or teaching, and will be subjected to fierce debate and revision at the assembly. MORE

Sep. 7, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Robert E Emery decries discrepancy between way courts treat married parents and divorced parents; contends simple change of adding parental agreement to list of factors that comprise 'best interests of the child' will bring law closer to treating unmarried parents like married parents. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Unhitched column on Valerie and Clark Tate, married couple who split up in 2007 but remain legally married, share a home and are raising their son together; both acknowledge a legally binding divorce may be ahead. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Retiring column; couples divorcing over 50 years of age will likely experience having to downsize their retirement plans, as there is little time to enhance portfolios that are now divided; experts suggest hiring a financial planner even before finding a good divorce lawyer. MORE

Jun. 22, 2014

Stan Parish Lives essay describes going on vacation with his friend's family to Mexico when he was in eighth grade; recalls sensing that his friend's parents were having problems, but that he was too young to understand that they were heading toward divorce. MORE

Jun. 7, 2014

Ann Carrns Your Money Adviser column; pioneering California court program offers one-day divorces for couples who either cannot afford to pay or do not want to hire lawyers. MORE

May. 23, 2014

Indictment is unsealed in Trenton, New Jersey, that bluntly details three actual kidnappings by rabbis and ultra-Orthodox men of husbands who refused to grant divorces to their wives; indictment charges five men, including Mendel Epstein of Brooklyn, the accused ringleader; accused are charged with torturing husbands so that they would agree to grant divorces, which under Jewish law cannot occur without the man's consent. MORE

May. 4, 2014

Unhitched column; Hope Adair and Joe Weeks tell story of their relationship, from romance to vows to divorce to life afterward. MORE

Mar. 30, 2014

Psychotherapist and author Katherine Woodward Thomas, who coined the term 'conscious uncoupling,' phrase used by actress Gwyneth Paltrow when announcing her separation from husband Chris Martin, explains how the process works. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Peter Mountford Lives essay describes visiting his father in the stroke ward at a hospital in Scotland, while being halfway through his divorce. MORE

Mar. 22, 2014

Case of Orthodox Jewish man Meir Kin, who remarried without releasing his ex-wife, has become a powerful symbol of what activists say is a deepening crisis in the religious community; Kin refused to grant Lonna Kin a document known as a 'get,' without which she is unable to remarry; activists say there are hundreds of women like her who are held hostage in marriages years after civil cases have been settled. MORE

Mar. 9, 2014

Unhitched column; baby boomers John and Patty Reid discuss what led to their divorce after 27 years of marriage. MORE

Jan. 23, 2014

Booming column; marriage counselor James Guay observes that revelation in January 19 Unhitched column, in which Deborah Wells-Clinton and Phil Clinton admitted they got divorced after 28 years because he was gay, is not uncommon among baby boomers; points out that many gay people were closeted in 1960s and 70s, since homosexuality was not on most people's radar. MORE

Jan. 19, 2014

Unhitched column; Deborah Wells-Clinton and Phil Clinton, who divorced after more than 30 years of marriage once he admitted he was gay, share their thoughts on their marriage and how it ended. MORE

Dec. 25, 2013

Eliot Spitzer, former governor of New York, and his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, are set to divorce after 26 years of marriage; news comes during reports that Spitzer is romantically involved with Lis Smith, spokeswoman for Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio. MORE

Oct. 11, 2013

Federal Bureau of Investigation accuses Brooklyn Rabbis Mendel Epstein and Martin Wolmark of offering service to violently persuade men in some ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn to grant divorces to their wives; authorities say pair used kidnapping and torture to motivate recalcitrant husbands, charging wives up to $10,000 for rabbinical decree permitting violence and $50,00 to hire others to carry out deed. MORE

Sep. 28, 2013

Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham is asking Mississippi to recognize her out-of-state same-sex marriage so she can get a divorce; she married her partner Dana Ann Melancon in California, but they lived together in Mississippi until separating in 2010. MORE

Sep. 22, 2013

Research finds that more Americans over 50 are divorced than widowed; trend has serious social implications for future. MORE

Sep. 14, 2013

Economic crisis in Spain has had unintentional consequence of forcing warring couples who cannot afford divorces to remain together, and now a judge in Seville is ordering a divorcing couple to split their 2,700-square-foot apartment down the middle into two independent abodes. MORE

Sep. 7, 2013

Op-Ed article by author Sarah Elizabeth Richards considers whether divorce settlements should include money for fertility treatments; examines New Jersey divorce case in which woman is asking husband of eight years to pay $20,000 to cover egg-freezing procedure. MORE

Aug. 11, 2013

Unhitched column explores reasons why couples over age of 50 divorce; offer excerpts of interview with Ram and Barbara Samuel, who discuss how their marriage dissolved after almost 20 years and two children. MORE

Aug. 10, 2013

Paul Sullivan Wealth Matters column on divorce of Rupert and Wendi Murdoch and what lessons it can provide people with less money going through their own separations; says wealthy people have more assets at stake but any couple with broken marriage will face similar issues. MORE

Jul. 30, 2013

Wendi Murdoch switches lawyers one month after media mogul Rupert Murdoch surprised his wife of 14 years with divorce papers; hires William D Zabel, New York lawyer with a track record of representing women separating from powerful men, signaling that the divorce may turn messy. MORE

Jul. 3, 2013

Jun. 14, 2013

Rupert Murdoch files for divorce from his third wife Wendi following 14 years of marriage, citing breakdown in relationship; move, coming as Murdoch prepares to break News Corporation into two pieces, could prove costly. MORE

Jun. 2, 2013

Richard H Thaler Economic View column discusses findings of study by economists at University of Chicago's Booth School of Business; notes study reveals that women's greater earning power may be contributing to decline in formation and stability of marriages. MORE

May. 26, 2013

Stephanie Coontz Op-Ed article examines way in which data analysis can lead to mistaken notions, using statistics on way in which divorce impacts children as an example. MORE

Apr. 28, 2013

Field Notes column; wedding planning anxiety deepens when couples have to accommodate warring divorced parents. MORE

Apr. 2, 2013

Elizabeth A Harris The Appraisal column notes that for New Jersey's real estate agents and brokers, deals that spring from divorce are an inevitable slice of the business; for some, it is a quiet niche market that can make up as much as half of their business. MORE

Mar. 9, 2013

Divorce filings are spiking in big cities across China after rumors spread that one way to avoid new 20 percent tax on profits from housing sales is to separate from one's spouse. MORE

Feb. 17, 2013

Increasing number of women are changing their last names when they divorce, looking for a fresh start; divorce decrees now allow name change without extra paperwork or a fee, making the switch even more appealing. MORE

Dec. 18, 2012

Sabadell Journal; Spain's protracted economic crisis is interfering with ability of some couples to get divorced, as strained finances make expensive divorce impossible. MORE

Dec. 16, 2012

Divorce Detox, California-based company focusing on psychological and spiritual detox for people whose marriages have broken up, offers workshops and retreats that help participants view divorce as a good thing. MORE

Dec. 6, 2012

Husband-and-wife businesses can survive even if couples divorce; small-business guide offers suggestions, including discipline, counseling and plenty of communication. MORE

Nov. 25, 2012

Technological tools like e-mail, texting and online custody management databases are providing divorced parents with useful ways to communicate with each other without hearing the voice or seeing the face of an ex-spouse. MORE

June 2, 2013, Sunday

LOS ANGELES - A threatened divorce battle between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes ended before it really got started, as representatives of the couple announced a settlement of issues between them on Monday. The deal came less than two weeks after...

July 10, 2012, Tuesday

Judith S. Wallerstein, a psychologist who touched off a national debate about the consequences of divorce by reporting that it hurt children more than previously thought, with the pain continuing well into adulthood, died on Monday in Piedmont,...

May 23, 2012, Wednesday

Admit it. You've sometimes grumbled after buying a nice wedding gift, only to see the couple split up a year or two later. Well, now you can hedge your bets, at a new Web site called -- what else -- WeddingGiftRefund.com.

New York's highest court ruled on Tuesday that a man who had lost his settlement proceeds in Bernard L. Madoff's Ponzi scheme would not get a do-over on his divorce agreement. The unanimous decision from the New York Court of Appeals overturned a...

At the Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street, divorce is following marriage, just as it does in life. On Wednesday the Pavilion, which describes itself as one of New York's premier special events locations, played host to a wedding expo, New...